If you're new to the world of tea and don't quite know where to start, you should first learn how to brew the perfect cup of tea. IT IS SUPRISINGLY EASY AND DESIRABLE to create a cup or pot that is stellar SINCE the taste, aroma and potential health benefits are largely the reason that tea drinkers seek out the brew. Regardless of whether you'll be trying herbal teas, homeopathic blends OR THE NEWEST TREND LOOSE TEA, the basic brewing practices should remain the same. Following are the steps to complete such a task:
1. Read the directions or search for ideal brewing steps for the type of tea you have chosen. Different types of loose teas may require various temperatures and times to create the optimal results when it comes to taste and your ultimate enjoyment. Often, if you purchased your tea at a local health or other food store, the employees should be able to instruct you how to brew that particular blend correctly.
2. Fill your kettle with cold water and heat to the correct temperature for your particular type of tea.
3. For each 12 OUNCE cup of tea you plan to make, measure out two teaspoons of your tea leaves and add these to your infuser. ADD MORE LEAVES FOR BULKIER TEA.
4. Pour the hot water from the kettle onto your tea leaves, and allow them to steep according to the directions appropriate for your chosen type of tea.
5. After your leaves have completed the prescribed steeping time, strain your leaves, pour your cup of tea and prepare it as you prefer.
New tea drinkers are encouraged to experiment with their steeping times and the amount of leaves used to create the ideal cup; you can then make it according to your personal taste. Stronger cups of tea call for longer steeping times or more leaves, and vice versa for weaker cups.
If you find that your first cup of tea is too strong for your tastes, simply pour it out and reuse the tea leaves to prepare a second. Purchasing higher quality loose tea leaves will enable you to use the same leaves for two and sometimes three or more cups of tea before needing to throw them out. When you do this, you may want to add just a few fresh leaves onto the old ones, or increase your steeping time by 30 to 60 seconds.
It's also possible to decaffeinate your tea using an ancient Chinese traditional quick steep method. This works because most of the caffeine is on the outside of the dried leaves, so a quick wash will remove as much as 90% of it prior to steeping. This is a great option if caffeine doesn't agree with you, or you just want to relax a bit before going to bed; your guests who can't have caffeine will appreciate the extra effort as well.
In order to perform this decaffeination, follow these steps:
1. For each desired cup of tea, measure out approximately two teaspoons of tea leaves into the teapot.
2. Fill your kettle with fresh cold water and bring it to a boil.
3. Pour the boiling water from the kettle over the leaves, just barely covering them. There's no need to fill your teapot all the way at this point.
4. Allow this water to stay on the leaves for 30 seconds, then pour it off or remove the leaves and empty the teapot. This liquid that is being poured down the drain is highly concentrated in caffeine.
5. Continue with the above steps to brew the perfect cup of decaffeinated (or nearly decaffeinated) tea.
Special Considerations
Adding sugar and cream to your perfect cup of tea can mask the true taste and richness of your chosen blend. Try to first experiment and find a good steeping time, the amount of leaves, and the temperature of water which produces a flavor you can enjoy without adding any type of sweetener or other flavoring. After your palate becomes used to drinking without these items, you'll start to notice the most subtle differences between brews and types of tea for a truly enjoyable drinking experience.
If you are planning on brewing herbal teas, don't forget that some of these may interact with prescription medications. Ensure the herbal tea you choose will not interact with any drugs you may be taking or aggravate any existing health condition.
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